Device for Straightening a Banknote Bundle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to packaging of banknote bundles and can be used, for example, in a bank. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for straightening a banknote bundle that has been deformed when being wrapped in a currency strap, wherein said device would ease the process of straightening the banknote bundle, prevent tear of the top banknotes of the bundle in places of contact with the side edges of the strap and provide an overall increase in the efficiency of the wrapping process. A device for straightening a banknote bundle ( 2 ) bent along its longitudinal axis during the process of wrapping said bundle in a transverse currency strap ( 1 ); said device is embodied in the form of a variable width plate ( 3 ), wherein the minimum width W of the plate ( 3 ) does not exceed the width Ws of the gap that is present when the transverse strap is wrapped around a bent bundle ( 2 ) of banknotes, and the maximum width W corresponds to the width Wb of a banknote; the lateral sides ( 7 ) of said plate can be embodied along smooth convex curves; the plate ( 3 ) can be embodied with a notch ( 5 ) in its middle area, the contour ( 6 ) of said notch being equidistant from the lateral sides of the plate; the edges ( 8, 9 ) of the plate at its lateral sides and along the contour of the notch can be rounded; the plate ( 3 ) can be divided into two parts ( 10, 11 ) at the point of the minimal radius of curvature of its lateral sides, said parts being interconnected by means of a hinge ( 12 ), embodied in such a way as to allow fixation of the plate&#39;s parts relative to each other.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to packaging of banknote bundles and can be used, for example, in a bank.

BACKGROUND ART

Until recently, the wrapping of banknotes stacked in bundles was generally performed by means of two mutually perpendicular straps, mainly paper straps, which were fastened together in the point of their intersection. Sometimes straps made of polyethylene tape were also used, see RU 2073626 C1.

However, in the last few years the majority of the largest banks of Russia (Sberbank, VTB Bank, VTB North-West Bank, Bank of Moscow, etc.) began to wrap banknote bundles in a package that is embodied as a single transverse currency strap, see RU 22465 U1. The advantage of a package embodied as a single transverse currency strap as compared to the package described above consists in that it provides a more simple and cheap solution for wrapping a banknote bundle; also it eliminates the step of fastening the package elements together; in addition, while the package described in RU 2073626 C1 and other similar packages are produced during the wrapping process from a tape by means of special equipment installed directly in the bank, the described package in the form of a single transverse currency strap can be manufactured outside the wrapping place, for example, in a print shop, and it can be done in advance. As a result, only the wrapping itself takes place at the bank, whereupon a banknote bundle is slightly bent along its longitudinal axis and inserted into a transverse currency strap. It can be done either manually or by means of special devices, see for example RU 2226488 C1. The preliminary deformation of the banknote bundle can also be done either manually or by means of various devices, see for example RU 24183 U1. When the transverse currency strap is set around the banknote bundle, the latter is unbent and becomes straightened to a considerable degree.

However, the side edges of the several (one-three) top banknotes remain bent upwards in places of contact with the transverse strap. Currently, in order to straighten the banknote bundle completely for it to achieve its original look, and to tighten the strap so that it would hold the whole bundle very tightly, at the same time avoiding damage (tear) of the top banknotes at the places of contact with the side edges of the transverse strap, one has to straighten very carefully the top banknotes of the bundle manually, which is inconvenient and inefficient.

The applicant has not found any known devices for straightening a banknote bundle that has been deformed when being wrapped in a transverse currency strap. Therefore, the current invention has no prototype.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for straightening a banknote bundle that has been deformed when being wrapped in a transverse currency strap. This device must make the straightening of a banknote bundle more convenient, prevent tear of the top banknotes of the bundle in places of contact with the side edges of the strap and provide an overall increase in the efficiency of the wrapping process.

According to the invention there is provided a device for straightening a banknote bundle bent along its longitudinal axis during the process of wrapping said bundle in a transverse currency strap, characterized in that said device is embodied in the form of a variable width plate, wherein the minimum width of the plate does not exceed the width of the gap that is present when the transverse strap is wrapped around a bent bundle of banknotes, and the maximum width corresponds to the width of a banknote; the lateral sides of said plate can be embodied along smooth convex curves; the plate can be embodied with a notch in its middle area, the contour of said notch being equidistant from the lateral sides of the plate; the edges of the plate at its lateral sides and along the contour of the notch can be rounded; the plate can be divided into two parts at the point of the minimal radius of curvature of its lateral sides, said parts being interconnected by means of a hinge, embodied in such a way as to allow fixation of the plate's parts relative to each other.

Since the applicant has not found any sources of information containing data on any devices with the same purpose, this enables to conclude that the invention conforms to the criterion “Novelty” (N).

The technical result produced by the inventive device cannot be achieved when manually straightening a banknote bundle wrapped in a transverse currency strap or when using any other known means for this task. In applicant's opinion, this fact enables to conclude that the present invention conforms to the criterion “Inventive Step” (IS).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is further explained, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a deformed banknote bundle inserted into a currency strap;

FIG. 2 is same as FIG. 1, left-side view;

FIG. 3 is the device for straightening a banknote bundle inserted into a transverse currency strap as claimed in claims 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an A-A section of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is the inventive device shown at the moment of its insertion into the gap between the strap and the banknote bundle;

FIG. 6 is a cross section of the banknote bundle with the inventive device being inserted between the strap and the banknote bundle;

FIG. 7 is the device as claimed in claim 3, plan view;

FIG. 8 is a B-B section of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the device as claimed in claim 4;

FIG. 10 is the device as claimed in claim 5, plan view.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The device for straightening a banknote bundle 2 bent along its longitudinal axis when being inserted into a transverse currency strap is embodied in the form of a variable width plate 3. The plate 3 is embodied in such a way as to allow inserting it into the space 4 between the strap 1 and the bent bundle 2 at the concave side of the bundle 2, wherein the minimum width W of the plate 3 does not exceed the width Ws of the gap that is present when the strap I is wrapped around a bent bundle 2 of banknotes; and the maximum width W of the plate 3 corresponds (equals or differs by a tolerance value) to the width Wb of a banknote from the bundle 2.

The lateral sides 7 of the plate 3 can be embodied along smooth convex curves; the plate 3 can be embodied with a notch 5 in its middle area, the contour 6 of said notch being equidistant from the lateral sides 7 of the plate 3.

The edges 8 of the plate 3 at its lateral sides 7 and its edges 9 along the contour 6 of the notch 5 can be rounded (see FIG. 9).

The plate 3 can be divided into two parts 10 and 11 at the point of the minimal radius of curvature of its lateral sides 7. Said parts 10 and 11 are interconnected by means of a hinge 12. The hinge 12 not only provides a hinged connection between parts 10 and 11 of the plate 3, but is also embodied in such a way as to allow fixation of said parts relative to each other. For this purpose, in this particular embodiment the hinge 12 is embodied as a screw with a nut. The hinged connection of the parts 10 and 11 of the plate 3 makes it possible to vary the value of width W, choosing it according to the banknote width Wb.

Plate 3 can be made of plastic, metal or any other suitable structural material.

The banknote bundle 2 inserted into a transverse currency strap 1 and bent along its longitudinal axis can be straightened by means of the inventive device either manually or by means of some mechanism that manoeuvres the inventive device in the same way that a manual straightening does.

In order to straighten the banknote bundle 2, the plate 3 is manually inserted into the space 4 between the strap 1 and the bent banknote bundle 2. The lateral sides 7 of the plate 3 begin to interact with the side edges of the top banknotes (1-3 first banknotes) that are bent upwards in places of contact with the strap 1. As a result, the abovementioned side edges of the top banknotes become straightened, the whole banknote bundle 2 becomes straightened too, and the strap 1 is stretched, now holding the banknote bundle 2 very tightly (see FIG. 6). Straightening of the banknote bundle 2 by means of a mechanism for manoeuvring the plate 3 is done in the same way. Straightening of the banknote bundle 2 by means of variants of the inventive device as claimed in dependent claims 3, 4 and 5 is done in the same way. In the variant shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of the outer contour of the device can be changed by mutually rotating the parts 10 and 11 of the plate 3 relative to the hinge 12.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The device for straightening a banknote bundle can be manufactured in factories by means of common equipment and known materials. In applicant's opinion, this enables to conclude that the invention conforms to the criterion “Industrial Applicability” (IA) 

1. A device for straightening a banknote bundle bent along its longitudinal axis during the process of wrapping said bundle in a transverse currency strap, characterized in that said device is embodied in the form of a variable width plate, wherein the minimum width of the plate does not exceed the width of the gap that is present when the transverse strap is wrapped around a bent bundle of banknotes, and the maximum width corresponds to the width of a banknote.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lateral sides of the plate are embodied along smooth convex curves.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the plate is embodied with a notch in its middle area, the contour of said notch being equidistant from the lateral sides of the plate.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the edges of the plate at its lateral sides and along the contour of the notch are rounded.
 5. A device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the plate is divided into two parts at the point of the minimal radius of curvature of its lateral sides, said parts being interconnected by means of a hinge, embodied in such a way as to allow fixation of the plate's parts relative to each other. 